Tuschen contract before dialogue discrimination team

Stabroek News
December 18, 1999

The dialogue mechanism to address issues of victimisation and discrimination is being tested for the first time since it was agreed to on October 7.

Yesterday at a press briefing at the CARICOM Secretariat, CARICOM facilitator, Maurice King, QC, said that the first issue to engage its attention is a complaint about discrimination in the award of a contract by the Central Tender Board for the Tuschen Water Supply Project. The complaint was brought to the attention of the dialogue by the PNC on December 7.

Under the October 7, agreement the issue would be dealt with by Donald Ramotar of the PPP/Civic and Lloyd Joseph of the PNC. They have been authorised by their respective parties to make binding decisions on issues of victimisation and discrimination. However, when asked if he was satisfied with the response of the PPP/Civic, Joseph said that he had not had an opportunity to study it as it was only given to him by Ramotar that morning when he arrived for the briefing.

While agreement was reached for Ramotar and Joseph to deal with these issues on October 9, an earlier agreement arrived at last year provided for then PNC general secretary, Aubrey Norton and PPP executive member, Dr Roger Luncheon, to be the persons to deal with these complaints. However, their names were never publicised as was agreed and since then both of them were replaced in the dialogue process by their respective parties.